The Hero Blade
by ArtoriousIII
Summary: For all that Izuku Midoriya walked about becoming a hero, he never seemed to do anything to improve his chances. What if he found someone to teach him when he was young, knowing full well what it would take to be the number one hero? A boku no hero academia/ katanagatari crossover. Rated M for bakugo's language and violence. No pairings as of yet
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own either Katanagatari or Boku no Hero Academia, they are the properties of Nisio Isin and Kohei Horikoshi respectively. Please support the ongoing series by following their released works.**

Chapter 1 – Tempering of Spirit

" _You will never develop a Quirk."_

Those were the words repeating on a loop in young Midoriya's head. Quirkless… a rarity in today's society, where nearly everyone had a Quirk. He would have taken anything as a power at that point. Even something ridiculous like soap based would be fine. But at the age of four, he found out that he would never develop a quirk.

Walking home with his mom, he was absorbed in his despair, until he passed a worn down and decrepit gate. Taken straight out of what looked to be the Edo period, he saw the gate was cracked. As a child's curiosity followed, he slipped inside and found his way to the main building. Within he saw an older man, looking to be in his 50s, although Izuku had no way of telling. The man was going through some kata, not similar in any way to kung fu, karate, or any other well-known martial art. Instantly the boy was entranced. Ten minutes passed till the man stopped and addressed the child sternly. "It's rude to stare young boy, especially when you don't introduce yourself."

Izuku flinched and stood ramrod straight, nervous and worried he would get in trouble. "Well come on, what is your name little one?"

"I-Izuku M-Midoriya, a-age six." The man saw his nervousness as almost humorous. "It's ok MIdoriya-san, you aren't in trouble. Do you mind telling me what you were doing?"

Izuku relaxed for a moment, before his excitement reemerged. "I got curious about what was past the old gate and wandered inside so find you moving around and it seemed cool so I wanted to watch you a little more to take my mind off of the fact that I won't develop a Quirk." The man chuckled a bit at the boy's enthusiasm before settling himself again.

"It is quite alright Izuku-san. I can understand your interest. But why is not having a quirk any bad? There are many things you can do in life, and most all of them do not require a Quirk." Izuku seemed to shrink even more in front of the man before some tears began to fall from his face. "All I ever wanted was to be a hero, and if I don't have a Quirk, I can't save anyone."

The man seemed to age a bit at the declaration before smiling. "Being a hero doesn't mean you have to have a quirk, it just means you have to want to help others without any ulterior motives. If you want proof, my ancestor was a great hero who helped overthrow a tyrannical shogunate. And he did so with only his martial arts prowess. No quirk necessary."

Izuku seemed to perk up at the thought. He then looked at the man with what seemed like absolute hope. "Can I become like him one day?"

"Well, usually this martial art is passed down from father to son, but seeing as I have no child of my own to teach, I would have to let the art die unless someone was willing. So I'll ask you once, will you become my disciple and carry my family's legacy as your own?"

"Yes." At that moment, his mother Inko Midoriya came in and franticly grabbed her child, before addressing the man. "I'm so sorry sir, he just wandered out of my sight for a second, is there anything I can do to repay you for looking after him?"

"Nonsense miss, children tend to wander around like that. But if you are sincere about repaying me, I would like the opportunity to take him as a disciple and pass on my skills. He showed a great deal of interest in it and was hoping for the chance."

She looked shocked for a moment before looking at her son. "Izuku dear, is this what you want?" Izuku, not trusting his words at the moment, began furiously shaking his head up and down. Inko smiled at his enthusiasm before addressing the man once more. "I guess he can, although we will need to discuss this a little more."

"That is fine with me, I will enjoy the opportunity to teach him miss…?"

"Inko Midoriya, pleasure to meet you, Mr?"

"Kazune, Kazune Yasuri mam. 30th Kyotoryu head."

 **Timeskip 9 Years**

Kazune's funeral was just held today, and Izuku was at the old dojo grieving the loss of his master. He had grown a fair bit in the nine years, with a lean and tall frame that hides how young he truly is. Staring at the shrine placed to honor previous heads, he lets the tears fall from his face. On his deathbed, Kazune granted him the dojo and the land along with a simple phrase that seemed to break a dam within the boy. _"You can still be a hero Izuku, you have the skill and the heart. Never give up on that dream. Take it with you as the 31_ _st_ _Kyotoryu head."_

"I never forgot my dream. I will as much of a hero as your ancestor was. And I will prove that anyone can be a hero."

 **This story is one of a few that I thought up a few years ago. I tried to see what characters or what styles would be compatable in different stories without breaking the entire world they were drawn in. I came to realize that Izuku, for all that he is capable of in the manga and anime, never had any professional training in combat. For someone who said they wanted to be a hero since they were a kid, that is rather strange that he would not have worked for such a goal. He simply acts based off of what might work at the moment.**

 **And I know Katanagatari is not a series many people would have heard of, it is only 12 episodes. But take a chance and watch it because the choreography the characters use is beautiful, and above all, possible. It is a little dialogue heavy so be warned, but I think many will come to enjoy the simple art style and colorful characters.**

 **But the reasoning behind this story was to give Izuku a bit of a base. The kyotoryu style is both strong, versatile, but also has it's downsides. And to compliment the style with One for All, and you have a character that can deal heavy damage with near pinpoint accuracy. A fearsome combination.**

 **I hope the story draws some interest in these possibilities and can maybe inspire others to express themselves as well. Criticism is welcome, as long as you provide methods of improvement, and feel free to express ideas on how the story should go, it can help with writers block.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own either Katanagatari or Boku no Hero Academia, they are the properties of Nisio Isin and Kohei Horikoshi respectively. Please support the ongoing series by following their released works.**

Chapter 2 - The Truth of Heroism

Following a traffic jam, (due to your everyday supervillain attack), Izuku was sitting in class as his teacher reviewed everyone's choices for high school.

"Well it looks like we can skip the evaluations, as everyone wants to go the hero route. And it looks like you will have a good shot of it!"

The teacher's proclamation set off his class as everyone who was able manifested their Quirks with enthusiasm, sans two of the students. Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo, one because he had no quirk to speak of, and the other because of his own declaration.

"Don't talk about these losers in the same sentence as me teach. I'm going straight to the top and leaving these chumps in the dust! I'm going to UA!"

"Oh yeah, Izuku, didn't you apply to UA as well?" Everyone turned and stared at the boy. Although he was in excellent shape, it was well known that he was Quirkless. The entire class burst out in laughter at the thought.

"Just give up Deku, at least the others have Quirks, you'll just get in a real hero's way. Izuku tuned out Bakugo for the moment, understanding that they had no idea of his training, and mindlessly went along with their teasing while going over his own capabilities.

After class, as he was compiling notes over the new hero from his morning commute, Bakugo came up and swiped his notebook, flipping through it, he became irritated that Deku still wanted to be a hero, believing only those with powerful quirks could ever accomplish it. "What did I tell you about trying to be a hero Deku?" He exclaimed as he made a minor explosion around the notebook in his hand.

"Give it back Ka-chan" Izuku asked, only to panic as Bakugo threw the now burnt notebook out the third-floor window and into the pond below. As the bullies head off, they feel a brief flash of superficial cold, like a blade has been drawn, only to fade away when they turned around.

 **Later**

On his route to the dojo, Izuku went over his now damp and slightly singed notebook, going over the hero events that occurred that morning. " _It seems like that new hero Mt. Lady is going to become popular very quickly. However, she doesn't look to helpful in any situation with narrow space."_

As he entered a tunnel, without warning he was quickly surrounded and grabbed by a villain consisting of sapient sludge.

"Oh, this body will do just nicely, decently strong." The slime spoke as it smothered Izuku, trying to enter into his body through his mouth and nose. Izuku did what he could to fight the villain off, ripping and tossing off chunks of slime as he could.

As his vision was fading due to lack of oxygen, he saw an imposing shadow at the end of the tunnel. The last thing he heard before passing out was someone shouting the word Smash.

Waking up to being slapped in the face, his instincts kicked in and he grabbed the offending hand to flip himself towards the other side of the man that saved him.

" **Hello there, young man. Are you hurt at all?"** Izuku turned around and was face to face with what looked like an American bodybuilder. In a white shirt that conformed to his muscles and green cargo pants, he saw his childhood inspiration, the Number One hero – All Might.

" **Ah, I can see you are fine, and quite spry if I do say."** Izuku is a little stunned, and before he can run off shouts.

"Wait, I wanted to ask you something." The massive man turns around to look at Izuku before noting his seriousness, and nods as response.

"I wanted to let you know that since childhood, I have seen you as an inspiration. Your quirk seems almost impossible and you hold such unwavering ideals that most villains don't even want to chance fighting you. So I wanted to let you know and hopefully get your approval. I was born without a quirk, yet my sensei Kazune believed in me every step of the way and gave me what I consider my best skill. I want to tell you now, that one day, I will take up your mantle, and become the next Symbol of Peace. And in doing so, I will prove that it is not the skills you are gifted that matter, but those you earn." Izuku was slightly out of breath as he looked on at his goal, who seemed unreadable at the moment.

.

.

…

" **I'm sorry, but without a quirk, you have no chance. Now I must be off, study hard!"**

…

As All Might crouched in preparation to jump away, Izuku felt like he was blown off and quickly jumped on his back.

" **What are you doing kid?!"** All Might said nervously, as he finally noticed the boy on his back. _**"Drat, my time limit is almost up, hopefully I can get away once I land."**_ He thought as steam began to waft off of his body.

"Just listen to me for a moment, and I can't exactly get off since I might die!" Izuku spoke, although the winds were dampening the sound of his voice slightly. As the landed on the roof of a parking structure, Izuku rolled off All Might and the smoke from the landing obscured his vision slightly.

"I don't think you are right, and I am going to prove you wrong one day. I know that it seems impossible considering I have no quirk, but they just changed the rules for the entrance exams at UA, so I know I can at least take the exams and prove my point. So, I hope you are watching that day and see my potential." Izuku shouted into the smoke, hoping that his hero could hear him and was reconsidering his statement. But, when the smoke cleared, he saw something he wasn't expecting.

Standing in All Might's clothes, was a skeletal looking man with gaunt eyes and a weak posture. It didn't look like a different person though, as the clothes were many sizes too large on the man, and the belt buckle was the same. "All Might?"

"I guess you won't be fooled if I say he already left?" Izuku shook his head at that. "Very well. Yes, I am All Might."

"But why do you look like that?" Izuku's head was starting to spin at the confirmation.

"Well, long story short, several years ago I was seriously injured in a battle with a villain. And since that day, I have been limited in the amount of time I can use my quirk throughout the day. I now, can only manage that form for 3 hours, lest my condition deteriorates." All might spoke before lifting up his shirt, showing a large, purple scar on the left side of his torso.

Izuku looked at the scar, and while he felt pity, he is also still holding the irritation he had earlier. "So, despite the fact that you can't use your quirk for more than a few hours a day, and despite the fact that you should have probably been bedridden because of that injury, you still think you can say my dream is worthless?"

"Being a hero isn't about having power, its about wanting to help others and do what is right. And if you forgot that, then you really aren't a hero anymore!" Izuku began to walk off towards the exit and paused the stairwell. "I won't tell anyone your secret, despite the fact that you seem to forgot why you are a hero in the first place."

All Might motionlessly sat at the wall of the structure, somewhat conflicted at the boys words, before dusting himself off and leaving, still contemplating the words as they began to set into his mind.

 **Later**

Izuku was walking back home, still a little frustrated over All Might, before noticing a commotion and stumbling upon an active villain attack. Many heroes were there, yet none seemed to be doing anything more than corralling the civilians, as the slime villain that attacked him before seemed to have a hold of a teenager. _"I must have knocked the villain loose when I grabbed onto All Might. But why hasn't he shown up yet?"_ He thought about it before remembering what All Might said about his time limit.

He felt guilty at that realizing that if All Might hadn't use so much time helping him out earlier, he might still be able to diffuse the situation. As Izuku looked on he noticed that the boy the slime villain had was his classmate Bakugo. Shocked, he looked around and noticed the heroes were corralling the citizens and looked on like they were useless to help. He began to recall something he was told a long time ago.

 **Flashback Izuku age 9**

 _Izuku sat in Kazune's dojo, both were in hakama, sitting sieza, as they had warm tea in front of them. "So, Izuku-chan, do you know what it means to be a hero?" Kazune spoke, looking at Izuku with expectation._

" _To defeat the villains, right?" Izuku spoke, staying calm as he learned to reserve his excitement and energy for his training. Kazune chuckled a little before continuing. "Close, but not quite there. You see, anyone can become a hero for show, such as those who rescue others for personal gain, but the greatest heroes don't just seek to save people. They do everything they can, sometimes without thinking, to rescue those in need. And to do everything they can to correct injustice. In this way, anyone can be a hero, especially you."_

 **Present time**

As Izuku refocused, he noticed that he had broken past the barricade and made his way towards the slime villain. Before he realized what was going on, he began to strike and swipe at the villain, blowing chunks off of the still struggling Bakugo.

"What the hell are you doing Deku?" Bakugo yelled as he saw his bullying target and onetime friend attack the villain nobody was daring to fight.

"I saw what was happening to you, and before I knew it, I was here. But I will save you Kaachan." Izuku spoke out between strikes.

As this was happening, All Might, in his deflated form, looked on at the situation, astonished at Midoriya for steeping in despite not having a quirk. It was then that the words from before resonated with him. _"I'm sorry Young Izuku, I forgot myself for a moment there. But let me make it up to you."_ He then reactivated his quirk and jumped in. Knowing he had only minutes, he prepared himself to push past what he thought as his limit.

Izuku, Bakugo, and the villain all noticed the shockwave and turned around in time to see All Might rearing up an uppercut.

" **It Seems that I haven't been living up to my standards. But that changes now! A true hero doesn't give up and neither will I!"**

" **Detroit SMASH!"** All Might swung his fist, and created a massive blast of air, ripping the slime off of the two teens. The current of air surged upward, putting out the fires around them and carrying all sorts of debris straight into the sky. From a distance, it looked like a massive squall just opened up downtown as clouds from all over were drawn toward the blast through pressure currents.

After a few seconds of chaos, the wind subsided, and everyone could see All Might standing with blood coming from his mouth and his fist raised in the air, almost looking like a sign of victory. And then the clouds that gathered began to rain, putting out what fires persisted through the tornado that just occurred.

 **Later on**

Izuku walked through the cemetery, going over what just happened. The heroes berating him for stepping in, All Might's disappearing act after the fact, and Bakugo being praised for surviving the villain attack. _"Despite my big speech to him, I still couldn't do anything. Maybe I should consider another career instead of being a hero."_

"I'll make you proud Kazune-sensei. Maybe just not the way I always thought." Izuku spoke to his teachers' grave. All Might walked in on that scene, hiding out in his deflated form, before walking behind the boy.

"Is this your father?" All Might spoke up, making Izuku flinch slightly but remain facing the grave.

He stayed silent for a moment before speaking up. "He was the first person to believe I could be a hero. When I first found out I didn't have a quirk, I passed by his dojo and saw him training when he invited me inside. He took me in, understanding that I didn't have a quirk, for he didn't have one either. But he told me that with enough training, I could become a hero. From that moment on, I learned his style, one passed down though his family for generations, with the promise that I become a hero and redeem it."

All Might saw Izuku in a different light, he understood that Izuku wasn't just doing this for himself, but for his teacher. To make up for his teacher's mistakes and to fulfill his dream, which was the same as his own. "I'm sorry. It seems I have made a mistake."

Izuku looked over at All Might, standing in the sunset. Despite looking like a skeleton, he seemed to still radiate the same presence as his 'hero form'…

"You can become a hero."

 **So this is chapter 2. I am trying to pace this with the anime episodes, although I read the manga as well. A few notes. I will try to upload every 3 weeks or so, just so that I can do storyboard for the chapters ahead and begin on the next chapters. Also, I am showing these characters in a different light because they are different. Izuku has better self-esteem since someone showed faith in him when he was young, therefore, he is more confident. And his reasons for being a hero are twofold now. Knowing about what his teacher's ancestors did, he is determined to redeem them in society as well as accomplish his dream. This also explains his reason to not become the greatest hero, but to be the Symbol of Peace. Now the pacing for his training is going to be different, as he is already very strong, but I am going to make one change to his use of One for All that will turn the quirk on it's head. It might change what you think of Izuku in cannon, but to be honest, I always had a problem with this factor in the main story.**

 **Before going, I would like to start a poll. After looking into the manga and over his character, I realize that Bakugo would probably try to pick up a martial art after either his fight with Izuku, or the USJ attack. But I want to pick something to fit with his quirk so as to augment his style. So, I will let you vote over these three marital arts to decide what he learns.**

 **Taekwondo**

 **Boxing (Southpaw)**

 **Full contact Karate**

 **Comment in this chapter's page to decide. I will make my decision by chapter 5**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own either Katanagatari or Boku no Hero Academia, they are the properties of Nisio Isin and Kohei Horikoshi respectively. Please support the ongoing series by following their released works.**

Chapter 3 - Forging a Hero

The day after the slime villain incident, Izuku made his way to Dagobah Municipal Beach park, as All Might asked him to meet here for some reason. Looking at the beach, he saw a veritable landscape made only of trash and broken appliances. Between the piles, he saw the hero, in his skeletal form doing some stretches on the beach.

"Come over here Midoriya boy. Let us begin." All Might beckoned him over to the large refrigerator next to him.

"Ok, so why are we meeting here by this trash?" Izuku asked confused at why they were so far out of the way.

All Might morphs into his hero form and grips the fridge next to him. As he begins to crush it, he speaks. **"We are here to begin your training young Midoriya! Just because I selected you to be a hero, doesn't mean that you can utilize my quirk just yet."**

…

…

"Um, what do you mean by 'utilize my quirk'?" Izuku responded. All might then realized he never told Midoriya the specifics behind his quirk. He quickly deflated, as if to match his feelings.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave you clueless, so let me explain." He motioned the boy to sit down at a set of tires with him.

"You see, whenever I was asked what my quirk was, I always replied with a well-timed quip or anecdote. Most people think of it as something like super strength, super speed, or agility; but they weren't exactly there. My quirk is not unlike the Sacred Torch of Legend, passed down from one generation to the next." At this point he held out his palm, which was radiating an ethereal light. "That is the Quirk, One for All. The ability to stockpile power and pass it on. And that is why we are training here young Midoriya!"

"But you still haven't explained why I need to train here." Izuku asked. "I get that your quirk is the building and transferring power, but are you able to just give the power to me now and train me with it?"

"Ah, but that is the problem, if I were to transfer the power to someone who was unable to handle it, their limbs would likely blow apart upon using it for the first time." He then shifts back into his hero form and continues. **"That is why we must develop your body into the perfect vessel for One for All. And to do that, you will clean up all the trash on this beach."**

"Oh, ok." Izuku nodded and walked over to the now crushed fridge, picked it up, and tossed it out of the way.

All Might stayed seated, somewhat dumbstruck at what Izuku just displayed. "What did your sensei teach you again?"

"Oh, he practiced Kyotoryu, it is a type of swordsmanship that treats the body as if it were a sword. So, he taught me to strengthen my body and skeleton to defend against sword strikes and break swords if need be. Also, I learned to be able to fight against fast moving attacks." Izuku began to demonstrate by going through his forms, and absentmindedly breaking down some of the junk surrounding them.

"That's **Amazing!"** As he changes back into his hero form, he runs over and slings his arm around Izuku. **"With the level of strength, you already have, it won't take much time to finish the work. When you finish this beach, we can begin teaching you to use One for All. You will definitely be able to make the deadline at this pace!"**

Following that, Izuku spent the next 5 months split between cleaning the beach and practicing his techniques on the trash. Since he was already so far ahead in terms of strength, All Might gave him wrist and ankle weights to wear throughout the training. With 10 lbs on each limb, he hauled washing machines, pushed trucks filled with appliances, swam dragging car tires, and ran while carrying appliances of varying size. This type of strongman training ensured that he would work every muscle in his body to functional capability. After those five months, All Might made his way to the beach at sunrise and bore witness to an awe inspiring sight.

"Amazing…" All Might looked on at the beach, now that he could see everything. And he noticed, on top of a pile of junk by the dumpsters, was his trainee preforming his kata with practiced ease. The training had done a number on his body, with the long limbs holding better definition. Although he wasn't as imposing as All Might's hero form, he knew that the lack of size merely hid the teens' true strength.

" **Midoriya my boy, I believe you are ready!"** he belted out as he shifted to his hero form. Izuku came over and stopped to bow in front of All Might.

"Thank you for this opportunity All Might. I promise I will live up to your expectations." Izuku responded with glee. He had worked hard over the past few months and he felt as if he could pass the entrance exam at this point. This truly instilled in him the value of the power he was being granted.

" **You probably know this already, but there is a famous phrase when it comes to power. Power that is given to you outright can never overcome power that you earn. Well you have done your best and I believe that you have properly earned the right to this strength. Congratulations!"** Izuku looked on with a swelling of pride as he heard these words. He saw his hero pluck a hair from his head and hold it out to him, as if it was a medal.

" **Eat This."**

…

…

"What!?" Izuku yelled out, confused at the sudden disturbing request.

" **In order to inherit One for All, you need to consume some of my DNA. This just seemed like the least disturbing way."**

Izuku did as instructed, despite being disgusted. "Alright, so what next?" All Might then pulled out his phone and placed a call.

" **Yes, could you meet me at Dagobah beach before noon, I would like you to be on hand for his first attempt… Yes, he did complete it early, and then some. I don't want him to be out of commission for the rest of the day. Great, thanks, see you soon."**

" **Sorry about that, I wanted to bring a colleague over to assist you for your first attempt with One for All."**

Izuku shook his head. "No, its fine, but who did you call?"

" **I just called the physician at UA. One of the people I entrusted with my secret, Recovery Girl."** He said while sitting down to wait.

 **Later That Day**

A car pulled up at the beach, where a deflated All Might and Izuku were sitting with sandwiches. "Is this your protégé All Might? I thought you would pick someone with a little more muscle." The two looked over to see a short old lady. Wearing a lab coat and walking with a cane shaped like a large syringe, Izuku recognized her as Recovery Girl from different rescue scenes.

"Hello Ma'am, my name is Izuku Midoriya, I am a big fan of your work!" He quickly stands up and bows to Recovery Girl. She takes the gesture in turn and turns away after patting his head.

"So, are you going to teach him about how to use his quirk yet, or did I come her for nothing?"

All Might hit his palm with his closed fist, remembering that he forgot to tell him anything about his quirk. "Right, so listen up young Midoriya. When you draw upon One for All, just squeeze your fist, clench your buttocks, and yell out with all your might Smash! That should be enough to awaken your quirk."

Izuku stares blankly at him, not really believing his description. But considering his knowledge of how to actually activate a quirk, guessed that he was telling the truth. "All right, here goes."

Izuku walked over to the edge of the sand, facing the ocean. He stares out for a second before going over the steps in piece. "Squeeze your fist…"

He grips his right hand tightly. "Clench your buttocks…."

His right arm begins to glow with iridescent, crisscrossing red veins. "And yell out with all of your might…"

"SMASH!" Izuku throws his arm out in a straight punch, creating a massive shockwave out over the ocean. The waves parted and continued out towards the horizon. Both All Might and Recovery Girl were in awe at the power Izuku just displayed, although All Might was feeling a sense of pride in getting the boy here. Their thoughts were interrupted a moment later by Izuku.

"AHHHGH!" The looked at his right arm to see it swollen and red, with obvious breaking occurring throughout it. Recovery Girl quickly rushed over to begin his treatment. Within a few minutes, his arm is fine, sans the bandages covering its length.

All Might walks over to Midoriya and places a hand on his shoulder. "So, what do you think of your first use?"

Izuku clenches and unclenches his fist repeatedly. "It was powerful, but it felt like I was using way too much force. I though you said that this training would help me withstand it?"

Recovery Girl steps in at that question. "That is because you did withstand it. Without his training, your arm would be gone. You are going to need to work on control in order to prevent this from happening again."

" **That's right my boy!"** All Might flexes back into his hero form. **"You will have to call upon only a percentage of the power at this point in time. Try thinking of a way to measure it for now."**

Izuku mulled over that for a moment before replying. "So, I just need to think of something like a dial that measures my power and pay attention to how much I use before my arm breaks down."

All Might nods at the boy, realizing that he might just have his method. **"A dial should work perfectly for you. Just envision a dial with 100 marks and use it for control."**

Recovery Girl chuckled at his words. "It sure is better than just your way of describing your control All Might"

Izuku ignores them for the moment, as he walks over towards a fridge. _"Just envision a dial, right? Then I should start at the lowest mark and work my way up."_ Izuku pulls his left hand back and begins to channel the power again, although at a much smaller quantity. _"1%, 2%, 3%, TOO MUCH, take it back… 2% seems to be my limit, so let's see what it can do."_

"Kyotoryu…" The two heroes look over to see Izuku ready to strike a fridge. "DANDELION!" Izuku's left arm glowing red with veins, punches through the fridge completely and knocks the door on the other side clear off, sending it sailing into a broken-down truck.

The two were surprised at the quick understanding of his quirk, but All Might was quick to realize where he gained the knowledge. **"Your sensei was really an amazing person wasn't he Midoriya boy?"**

Izuku removed his arm from the fridge and smiled at All Might. "He did his best to teach me restraint when it comes to living things, so that just helped me understand how to dial back speed and strength." Recovery Girl walked over to inspect his left arm, finding only minor cuts from the fridge on his hand.

"As long as you don't go any further than that when hitting steel or concrete you should be fine. Your skin will adapt to the stress and you should develop stronger knuckles as a result. But be careful when experimenting further all right?" Izuku nodded at the hero nurse before she handed him some gummy bears. "Well consider this a reward for good use."

From that day, Izuku and All Might began to work on his combat skills over simply teaching him about his quirk, seeing as he had a good grasp on his limit. When they weren't training with each other, Izuku was either practicing his Kyotoryu techniques with One for All or studying for the Entrance Exam. This continued on until about a week before the test.

Izuku was blown back across the beach by All Might. He may have been wearing restricting weights, but he still packed a lot of power in his punches. Izuku began trying to focus his quirk before getting knocked around.

All Might, noticing his trouble, paused. **"Are you all right Midoriya boy?"**

Izuku slumped down against the wall, taking the moment to catch his breath. "I'm having some difficulty changing where I'm focusing One for All. I'm up to 3%, but I can't change my focus fast enough and I keep getting distracted whenever I get hit."

All Might looked at him dumbfounded for a moment. **"You mean you have been sparring all this time while switching where you were using your quirk?"**

"Yes, do you have any advice to make I easier?"

" **Why not just keep it going?"** Izuku looked confused at that so he elaborated. **"You can't spend a lot of time in a fight being concerned with how much power you are using where. Look at me."** He then flexes for demonstration. **"I use One for All throughout my entire body, so I can ensure that I am as powerful as I can be."**

Izuku stands up at that thought. _"So rather than confining it to just my arms and legs, I should empower my entire body? Why didn't I think of that sooner?"_ All Might looks on as Izuku begins to concentrate.

" _Ok. One for All, keep it at 3%, but spread it throughout my whole body."_ Izuku began to glow slightly, as green electricity began to spark off of his body. "One for All: Full Cowling!"

All Might grinned at the sight, seeing that Midoriya was beginning to make the power his own. **"Excellent young man, now let's see just what you can do."**

Izuku grinned back at his teacher before rushing forward to meet him with their fists reared.

 **One Week Passed, UA Campus**

Izuku walked forward towards the entrance to UA. Slightly nervous as he only just got control over his Full Cowl. As he made his way in, he was bumped aside by his one-time bully Bakugo. "Out of the way Deku!" The boy grunted at Izuku as he stormed past. Since the slime villain incident, he had stopped bullying Izuku, choosing not to befriend the fellow aspirant, but ignore him. They had no interacted much since then, so Izuku didn't know how to feel about the sand-haired teen.

As he continued, his foot caught an upturned stone and he began to fall. Mid-fall, he propped himself onto his outstretched hand and held himself up. While upside-down, he saw that a brown-haired girl had stopped right next to him.

"Oh, you caught yourself! That's good, it wouldn't do well to fall on your face before the exam."

As he flipped himself over, he took note of the girl beside him. Her hair was in a kind of bob-style cut. With a slightly rounded face and two pronounced blush marks she looked cute. He couldn't tell much about her body considering she was wearing a large brown jacket, other than that she was not overweight. Realizing that he was subconsciously checking her out, he tuned back in to what she was saying.

"Sorry that I was about to use my quirk on you like that, I know people prefer if you ask first."

He waived her off. "Don't worry, you had good intentions at the time so anyone would understand."

She beamed at the compliment. "My name is Uraraka Ochaco."

Izuku grinned back at her. "Midoriya Izuku good luck on the exam."

The two walked off separately making their ways into their separate exam halls to begin their tests.

After the exam, they were all gathered in a lecture hall to be given instructions for the Physical Exam. Izuku felt that he did well enough on the written portion, he just hoped he could pass the physical portion was well. He found himself sitting next to Bakugo, much to the explosive teens' irritation. But before either of them could address the other, the lights dimmed and a spotlight was shown upon the teacher's podium.

"EVERYBODY SAY HEY!" They all fell silent at the sound of Present Mic, The Voice hero.

"SO, WHO IS READY FOR THE BIG TEST? YEAH!" The examinees stayed silent, slightly disturbing the hero, but he ignored it.

"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP SO I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF. YOU ARE GOING TO BE SPLIT UP BETWEEN 6 BATTLEGROUNDS FOR YOUR TEST. INSIDE THE BATTLEGROUNDS YOU WILL FIND TYPES OF ROBOTS MEANT TO PORTRAY VILLAINS. THEY WILL BE WORTH ONE POINT FOR THE SMALLEST, THEN TWO, THEN THREE. YES, YOU HAVE A QUESTION NUMBER 7111?"

A tall, fit looking teen with glasses stood at being addressed. "Yes, thank you. I just wanted to address why despite your saying there will be only three ranks of robots, the leaflet for this test clearly lists four? If that is a mistake then you should be outraged at the lack of attention in your advertisements and the makers of this should be removed from your staff for incompetence!"

Present Mic gave no physical indication of embarrassment at the speech. "THANK YOU, EXAMINEE, NUMBER 7111. NO THIS IS NOT A MISTAKE. THE FOURTH ROBOT IS NOT CONSIDERED A TARGET, BUT MORE OF AN OBSTACLE. IT IS KNOWN TO THRASH ABOUT IN SMALL SPACES AND IS WORTH ZERO POINTS. SO, DESTROYING IT IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE. ARE THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS?"

The room remained silent, feeling nervousness among everyone. "WELL THEN, LET ME LEAVE YOU WITH A QUOTE FROM THE GREAT HERO NAPOLEAN BONAPARTE. 'TRUE HEROISM CONSISTS OF BEING SUPERIOR TO THE ILLS OF LIFE. Go beyond. **PLUS ULTRA!** "

 **At Ground Beta**

At the battleground, Izuku was stretching, preparing for the exam. He noticed next to him the same teen from the lecture hall and moved to greet him. "Good luck out there today."

The teen seemed slightly irritated, but not mad at him. "Don't be trying to distract me or the other examinees. You should be more concerned with yourself at this point."

Izuku just bent down into a sprinter pose facing the door. "Yeah, I know. But it doesn't hurt to give others goodwill."

" **START!"** Before the other testers knew what was going on, Izuku had shot in like a bolt, aiming for the first robots on the scene. He flipped forward and delivered a strong kick that sent the robot flying into two behind it. "Kyotoryu Rose. Let's see how many more I need to get."

The battle waged on as the other contestants caught up to him and began swarming the bots he could find. Once ten minutes had passed, Izuku found himself with only six points short of a passing score, but there were no robots he could take in the immediate vicinity. A loud crash resounded through the area as everyone looked up to see a robot the size of the surrounding buildings start flailing about.

"A Zero pointer, run!" Everyone sprinted away at the random teen's voice, and Izuku was about to follow when he noticed the brown-haired girl from earlier, Uraraka, about to be stomped while laying on the ground, having tripped while running.

Izuku quickly reactivated his 3% Full Cowl and preforms a flying kick at the descending leg, breaking it in the process. _"Crap, now it is off balance, if I don't force it back, it will flatten a ton of people. I'm not sure that 3% will be enough. Better triple it!"_

He multiplied the force in his legs past the point where his bones were cracking and shot into the air and off the sides of the surrounding buildings. As he reached the height of the robot, he ignored the pain in his legs and began to charge the same power in his right arm and kicked himself straight at the robot's eye.

"KYOTORYU TECHNIQUE: POPPY!" Izuku threw a viscous palm strike that lifted the robot completely off of the ground and sent it flying halfway across the battleground. Everyone in both the viewing booth, and the battleground were in awe at the destructive force used. All Might was seen grinning, whereas a shaggy individual in the background just looked on in curiosity at the technique.

Back in the air, Izuku began to fall. As he attempted to right himself, he realized the damage that he did with that move. _"Crap again, my arm and my legs are broken, and I don't have anything to grab onto to slow myself! Recovery Girl, I hope you can fix me after this?"_

He shut his eyes and curled himself into a ball, awaiting impact with the ground. But after feeling a sting in his shoulder, he noticed that the wind had stopped. Opening his eyes, he saw himself floating above the ground with Uraraka laying beside him on some scrap. She was looking a little sick before she touched her fingertips together. "Release!"

Izuku, and the scrap Uraraka was on fell to the ground with a thud, and she proceeded to vomit over the side. Izuku stood himself up on shaky legs and began to look around for a robot to smash when Present Mic's voice resounded over the area. **"TIME IS UP!"**

"Damn it, I was so close. So close…" Izuku sulked at the results. Six points away from passing. He sat down in the crater caused by one of the zero pointer's footsteps. At this point, Recovery Girl was making her way through the crowd, treating different injuries sustained over the test.

"Here you go sweetie." She said while handing Uraraka some antacids for her nausea. She then made her way over to Izuku.

As she began to treat his breaks she berated him quietly to avoid drawing the attention of the other examinees. "You know what your limit is and yet a cute girl is in trouble so you decide to break your legs…"

He became flustered at the insinuation when she waived him off. "Don't worry, just be sure to work with what you can handle from now on. You'll be fine." She ignored his protests and walked off, leaving the examinees to make their ways home.

 **One Week After the Exam**

Izuku was a little worried. He came so close to passing and yet fell short. _"I let All Might down. Maybe I can do a retest around next semester."_ As he was washing up for dinner, his mother, Inko Midoriya ran up to him and shoved a letter in his face. "It's here, your results from UA!" He took the letter and walked off to his room. "I hope it is good news." She spoke to herself, knowing how hard he had worked for this, yet not knowing about his training with All Might.

As he sat at his desk, he looked down at the small disk that was in the letter. It was a projector disk, used a lot in their society, yet he was nervous about turning it on. "What if I they failed me? What if I can't redo the test?" He took a deep breath and almost fell out of his chair when a close up of All Might's face was plastered on the wall. **"I am here as a projection!"**

" **During your written exam you passed well enough with fifty points, yet during the practical, you only received 44 points for taking out villains. That is not enough for a passing grade…"** Izuku was beginning to well up with tears at the thought, thinking that his training was in vain. **"If that was the only thing that mattered. Why would we turn away someone who risked themselves to save another? That would just be terrible lip service."** Izuku looked back at the screen, where he saw a recording of the girl he saved, Uraraka, as she was talking to Present Mic.

"Do you remember a green haired boy name Midoriya? I hear him say he didn't have enough points… yet he saved me! Can I give him some of my points? I don't care if I fail, I just know he might not have if it wasn't for me." She seemed to have tears in her eyes as she said this.

The Image of Present Mic grinned at the request. "DON'T WORRY. I AM SURE HE WILL BE JUST FINE."

The video cut out to reveal All Might again. **"Alongside your written score and your villain points there is a third category not advertised. One that emphasizes the true measures of being a hero. Rescue Points! And with your actions, a panel of judges saw fit to grant you with 100 rescue points! So not only did you pass, but you made it in with the top score in this year's exam!"**

Izuku was crying now, but not due to his failure. Instead he was crying in realizing his dream was still possible.

" **Midoriya… This is your hero academy!"**

 **At Dagobah beach, that night**

In a separate request by All Might, Izuku met with him after dinner to discuss something All Might said was important.

He saw All Might, in his true form standing in the sand off of the parking section. "Midoriya, I wanted to congratulate you on your results." He held out his hand to shake with his student.

"Thank you, but when you called it seemed a little more urgent." Izuku asked and noticed the smile leave All Might's face.

"That is true. I wanted to hold off on telling you this for as long as possible, but considering your current skill, I feel that you are ready to hear this." All Might seemed more serious than before, which made Izuku almost worried.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"The origin of One for All."

Izuku seemed stock still at the intonation, before sitting down on the sand with All Might.

"One for All, is an odd quirk. It responds to the will of the user. You already know that you have to ingest the DNA of the user in order to receive it, but unless you will it, you cannot give the power to anyone else through the same method."

Izuku seemed slightly relieved at that. "But it can be taken by force though."

"But I thought you said that I can only get rid of it if I choose to?"

"I did say that, but this goes back to the origin. One for All was derived from a certain quirk that existed in the past. That quirk was called All for One. It allowed the holder to steal the quirks of others and make them their own. It also allowed them to give those quirks to others."

"You might have read about him before, but overtime, this person eventually came to command all of the villains in Japan. He would either gain people's loyalty or force them into submission by granting them quirks."

All Might seemed to pause at this before continuing. "But many don't know of his brother. He was sickly and frail, with a strong sense of justice. He continued to defy his brother, despite not having a quirk of his own."

"So what happened to him?" All Might looked up at the boy.

"Eventually, this villain forced a quirk meant to stock power into his brother, either to out of pity, or to make him submit, no one can say. But, although he was considered to be Quirkless, that was incorrect. He had a power inside of him that could be considered useless on it's own. The useless quirk that could pass on quirks!" Izuku realized at that moment why this was so important.

"The quirk that could stock power combined with the quirk that could pass itself on. That is the beginning of One for All!"

"But he is dead right, All for One?" All Might shook his head. "He can take quirks right, one to stop aging, one for immortality. I am sure that he is still alive to this day, despite my efforts."

Izuku seemed puzzled at the though before looking at All Mights stomach. "The injury you got years ago, All of One gave it to you right."

"Despite having One for All, the brother did not have enough power to defeat All for One, so he entrusted the power to someone else, knowing that one day it would be strong enough to defeat him. This went on and on through the generations until me. I had finally been able to beat him, yet after the fact, I am unsure if that was the case."

He walked over to the shoreline before continuing. "One for All is a quirk, inherited to defeat All for One. One day, you might have to face this villain, and I will do what I can to prepare you for that day."

As Izuku looked at his new teacher with determination, All Might couldn't help of think of the truth he was hiding. _"I hope that I can be there for that day."_

 **It seems a bit early for a lot of these things to happen, however, let me explain. This Izuku has a different mindset from the original. After learning a martial art that can easily kill, he had to learn a large amount of restraint. I mean; if he were to become a hero, he couldn't just go around killing villains, could he? And secondly, if you read Katanagatari, you realize Kyotoryu is insanely strong, so being able to use that already puts someone above regular people as far as physical abilities go. And while this Izuku may have a little less going for him in strategizing, he also has developed serios battle instincts, from both training with Kazune, and All Might. This alone would raise All Might's confidence in Izuku enough to reveal the truth far before the Stain Incident.**

 **Next chapter, we will cover the first day at UA, including the character alluded to earlier. Also, considering a future plan I have for an original plot chapter, I would like peoples' opinions on pairings. Now I know that this is a minefield discussion, but please give me reasons why the pairs would choose to be together. I don't want to be shallow in their character development. So as far as consideration no simple suggestion that reads. '** _ **X and X should be together, they would be so cute!**_ **' I want personalities to match well, like how Mineta will need to wait for someone who can temper his perversion.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own either Katanagatari or Boku no Hero Academia, they are the properties of Nisio Isin and Kohei Horikoshi respectively. Please support the ongoing series by following their released works.**

Chapter 4 – Honing your resolve

On the first day of UA, Izuku woke up in the home of his late master. In order to be closer to the school, he moved in over the past week with the help of his mother. He thought back on that conversation.

 **Flashback**

 _The day after the results came, Izuku was sitting at the breakfast table with his mother. "Mom, I would like to move into Kazune's home while at UA."_

 _Inko had some idea that this would be coming and realized that it opened up a better possibility for the both of them. "Ok"._

" _OK?" He asked, not sure of what to think of her immediate acceptance._

" _But, we are both moving there together." He was a little confused at the suggestion but before he could ask. "I know the house and dojo was willed to you, and the house is paid off. It is closer to my work and your school. And the utilities will be much less than what I pay for this apartment right now. So, I went ahead and called a moving company and we will get settled in tomorrow."_

 _Izuku smiled and walked across the table to give her a hug. "Thank you, mom."_

 **Back to the present**

As he put his shoes on and was headed out the door, Inko stopped him to check that he had everything. "Do you have your cell phone?"

"Yes."

"And your handkerchief?"

"Yes, I do."

"Izuku…" He looked up to see her with a soft smile. "You look really cool…"

He smiled in return before opening the door. "Thanks mom, I'll see you later!" As he ran out, she whispered under her breath. "Stay safe…"

After a brisk walk, he made his way into the school and found the door to his classroom. The door stood at around 10 feet tall, with 1-A emblazoned on the entirety of the door. _"I wonder if I will know any of my classmates? I bet Bakugo will be there, and that Iida kid."_

As he opened the door, he was greeted to a large racket, caused by the two teens he just thought of.

"Please keep your feet of the desk. It is unbecoming for a student of this prestigious school."

"Where the hell are you coming from, ya side character?"

"I am Tenya Iida from Soumei Private academy."

"Oh, so no wonder you have your head up your ass." Izuku let out a humorless chuckle at their antics, which drew the attention of the straight-laced teen.

"Hello, my name is Tenya."-

"I heard it already, nice to meet you." Izuku closed off the topic with a handshake.

"I really underestimated you. You were able to discern the true meaning behind the test. And you were able to take out that large robot with ease." Izuku put his hand up to interrupt at that.

"Not really, breaking that thing cracked all the bones in my legs and arm, so I'd rather not do that again." Izuku waived off the compliment, when Uraraka showed up behind them excited to see Izuku again.

"Hey, you made it! Thank you for the other day. It was so cool how you sent that robot flying. I was like BAM!" Izuku became a little nervous as she was standing very close to him, all the while, imitating his punch while repeating bam over and over.

"If you guys are here to make friends, you might as well go home." They looked towards the source of the noise to find a scraggy- looking unshaved head poking out of a sleeping bag.

"Huh?" The entire class seemed confused at the sleeping bag man, even more so as a juice box slipped out of the bag for him to drink from.

" _Please tell me that this isn't our teacher?"_ The entire class thought in unison.

"I'm your homeroom teacher Shouta Aizawa."

Everyone had differing levels of disappointment, sans for three students. One with white and red hair, and heterochromic eyes, Shouta Todoroki. A well-proportioned girl with a fan-styled ponytail, Momo Yaoyorozu. And the one closest to him, Izuku Midoriya.

" _Have I seen him somewhere before? I know he is a hero, but he doesn't ring a bell."_ Izuku pondered as the subject of his thoughts stood up in the bag and fished out a blue track uniform.

"Everyone put on your gym uniforms and meet me on the practice field in 10 minutes." At that, the sleeping bag man slinked out of the room. Everyone took a minute to process before rushing down to the locker rooms to change.

 **At the Practice Field**

"Quirk Assessment?!" The class yelled out in confusion.

"Exactly." Aizawa began. Now that he was out of the sleeping bag, they could see that he wore an all-black protective suit with a scarf made of bandages. His beard was unkempt and he seemed tired. "While the entrance exam measured your combat capabilities, it may have had little to no reaction towards measuring your use of your quirk. Not to mention that two of you students were accepted on recommendation, so we need to get an accurate gauge on how you use your quirk."

Iida quickly raised his hand in protest. "But what about the opening ceremony, or orientation? Shouldn't we participate in these activities first?"

Aizawa huffed at the suggestion. "UA prides itself on being the best, and the hero course is the best of that. As a result, we are given free reign on how we teach our classes."

He pulls out a baseball from behind his back. "Bakugo, come here."

The sand-haired teen perks up and walks over. "Yes sir."

"What was your best score on the ball throw in middle school?"

"67 meters." He hands Bakugo the ball.

"Try it again, only this time, use your quirk to try and improve your score."

Everyone seemed intrigued at the thought, as Bakugo walked over to the pitching circle.

"So, I can do whatever I want to the ball?"

"As long as you don't leave the circle, I don't care."

Bakugo grinned at the thought. _"I'll just put an explosion behind the ball for extra force."_

He wound up and just as the ball left his hand, a grenade like explosion shot it into the sky.

"DIE!"

A few of the classmates deadpanned at the action. _"Die?"_ Was the main thought to cross their minds.

After a few seconds, the ball landed in the distance and Aizawa held up a small tablet with his score.

"705.2 meters?!"

Aizawa noticed them getting eager and excited at the prospect of using their quirks, so he quickly drained their enthusiasm. "The point of this test is to weed out those who just got in here on a fluke. We want people who are able to utilize their quirks to their advantage. Therefore, whoever receives the lowest score in all 8 events will be kicked from the hero course."

Everyone quickly clammed up at the thought. The students became a mix of determination and nervousness. Except for Izuku, who had more of a blank look on his face.

 **50 Meter Dash**

The students began lining up for the different events. Tenya Iida and a frog like girl name Tsuyu Asui were up first. Iida used his quirk: Engine to great effect as the engines in his calves made him very quick. While Tsuya's quirk: Frog let her hop along shortly after him.

The next two up were the blond-haired French enthusiast Yuga Aoyama, and the pink-skinned vibrant Mina Ashido. Aoyama turned around and shot forward using his quirk: Naval Laser as a propellant, although he had to stop partway through to fire again, allowing Ashido to skate past using her quirk: Acid to make the ground slippery.

This went on repetitively until Bakugo and Izuku were up. Izuku set himself into his Iris stance and began to spark green lightning, indicating his Full Cowl. As they started, Bakugo shot himself forward through the air with explosions, with Izuku coming up only milliseconds behind.

 **Long Jump**

The students continued to show great skill in utilizing their quirks here. Hanta Sero used his quirk: Tape to slingshot himself past the goal. Koji Koda had an interesting take where using his quirk: Anivoice to convince birds to carry him over. Mashirao Ojiro used his quirk: Tail to spring himself forward and flipped past the goal with ease.

 **Grip Test**

During this test, students with strength began to show their merit. Stars among them were Eijiro Kirishima used the advanced strength granted by his quirk: Hardening to overpower the grip machine. However pure strength was shown by Rikido Sato and Mezo Shoji. Their quirks: Sugar Rush and Dupli-Arms allowed them to easily overpower the grip machines and receive top scores.

 **Side Stepping**

During this test, the most interesting scorer was Minoru Mineta, who despite his diminutive frame, used his quirk: Pop-Off to bounce himself between the lines at high speed. This went on until the boy became sick due to rapid shifting.

 **Ball throw**

Back at this test, Momo Yaoyorozu was unconventional by using her quirk: Creation to make a cannon that shot the ball an insane distance. Then came Uraraka's ball throw score. Using her quirk: Zero Gravity, the ball moved so far out of bounds that the distance reader maxed out displaying and infinity symbol.

Izuku was up next. Having scored well in each category, he mentally placed himself around 7th place, fair, and would get him by. As he channeled his Full Cowl, midway through his swing, his power cut out. This made him throw short at 78 meters, abysmal compared to some of the quirk enhanced scores.

"Do you think this is just a cake walk?" Izuku looked over to see his teacher staring at him with glowing red eyes. "I erased your quirk because you can't seem to push yourself."

"Wait I remember you now!" Izuku exclaimed, drawing the attention of others. "You are the hero who prefers to work in the background and hates publicity. The Underground hero: Eraserhead!"

Everyone became alarmed at the realization before Aizawa tossed another ball at Izuku.

"The purpose of these tests is to see your maximum limit, and you have been clearly taking it easy. If I don't see you outdo Bakugo's score, I will fail you on the spot. This course is supposed to be a challenge and I expect you to treat it as such."

Izuku thought about what all he could do with his quirk and his skills. "Sensei, you said before the only thing that matters about this test is I stay in the circle, right?" Aizawa paused for a moment and then nodded.

Izuku set himself into an odd stance, with his right foot forward, left foot back, his left hand back and his right hand at his side. "Kyotoryu, First Stance: Lily of the Valley Reverse."

Aizawa's eye's widened at the intonation, before Izuku tossed the ball straight up into the air. As the ball came back down, Izuku began to spark with green electricity and red veins appeared on his right arm.

" _3% Full Cowl, I can use 12% for an instant in one limb, should cause bone cracking at worst as long as I don't hold it."_

Kyotoryu, Fourth Secret Technique: Ryuuyoku Kakou! (Red Blossom and Green Willow)

He hits the ball with an angled thrust that creates multiple shockwaves, shooting the ball fast enough that it develops a contrail. Eraserhead's tablet lights up moments later displaying 897 meters. The rest of the students are confused by the move, with the exception of Mashirao Ojiro who showed reverent acknowledgement of the technique used. And Katsuki Bakugo, who was…

"What the hell was that Deku?" As he got closer, his hands began to pop with explosions, before several sturdy bandages wrapped around his arms and mouth before lifting him off of the ground.

"Don't bother trying to break these Bakugo, they were designed to restrain people's quirks and harden like steel." Aizawa said as the scarf he had been wearing tightened around the explosive user like a handcuff.

Aizawa looked back to see Izuku flexing his arm and testing it for injuries. "Are you injured Midoriya?"

Izuku clenched his fist before looking back with a smile. "I should be fine for the rest of the tests Sensei."

 **Push-Ups**

During this test, Kyoka Jiro and Fumikage Tokoyami showed their strengths. Jiro, using her quirk: Earphone Jack, had developed a lot of strength in her odd appendages, using them to move herself quite easily. Tokoyami's quirk: Dark Shadow acted the same, the ethereal form lifting himself easily.

 **Sit-Ups**

Bakugo showed his strength alongside Shoto Todoroki. Bakugo using his explosions to blast himself up, while Todoroki's quirk: Half-Hot Half-Cold, allowed himself to repeatedly create and melt ice beneath him.

 **20 Meter Shuttle Run**

During this test there were a few strong acts. Iida again showed his strength but ran short due to overworking his quirk. However, those who trained regularly gave impressive showings with Izuku and Ojiro being top contenders, demonstrating stamina built up after years of hard work.

 **Later**

As everyone gathered around Aizawa, he projected a leaderboard showing the classes overall rankings for the test. Each of the tests allowed the students to shine in different ways, with the exception of Toru Hagakure and Denki Kaminari. Their respective quirks: Invisibility and Electrification had no discernable effect on the tests. In the top 5 were as follows.

Momo Yaoyorozu

Shoto Todoroki

Bakugo Katsuki

Izuku Midoriya

Fumikage Tokoyami

Going down to the bottom of the list was Mineta Minoru. The diminutive boy fell to the ground and began to weep.

"Oh, by the way. I lied about the expulsion."

…

"It was just a rational deception to draw out the upper limitations of your quirks."

"What?" Everyone had varied reactions. Most of the class was relieved that it was a lie, Mineta was crying for joy, and the top 5 were not really affected by it.

"Class dismissed for the day."

Everyone began to socialize as Aizawa walked off. Unbeknownst to them, after he went behind a building, All Might caught up with him. **"You really didn't have to pick on Midoriya like that. I know you were serious about the expulsion threat, but he definitely showed he had what it takes."**

"I know, but after the entrance exam, I wanted to make sure that I heard him correctly."

Aizawa began to walk off before continuing. "You know, he has the potential to surpass you based on technique alone. I hope you don't mind if I tutor him a bit."

All Might just smiled at his friends' actions, knowing that his protégé had captured the interest of another hero.

 **After School**

Izuku walked out of the nurses' station double checking with Recovery Girl that he hadn't damaged himself, when he was stopped by Eraserhead in the hallway. "Hello sensei. Did you need to see Recovery Girl?"

Aizawa just stared him down for a minute, making the tall teen feel a little awkward. "You know, you will need to be careful when it comes to your techniques from now on right?"

Izuku's eyes widened at the intonation. "You know Kyotoryu?"

Aizawa shook his head. "No, but I know of it, and I knew someone who used it. Kazune taught you right?"

Izuku nodded. "It is a powerful and dangerous art once mastered, especially when combined with your quirk, but we can't have heroes killing villains lest we become villains ourselves." Izuku nodded at the thought.

Aizawa put his hand on Midoriya's shoulder. "I will try to set aside some time to train you on restricting your strength. But for now, if you use your Kyotoryu, don't activate One for All. Got it?"

Izuku nodded again. "Right Sensei." Aizawa nodded and walked off.

 **Later that day**

Izuku was lying down in his room. As he was absentmindedly squeezing a grip trainer, he began mulling over what his new teacher said. _"I need to show restraint around both classmates and villains… I also need to consider the best time to use either my quirk or my techniques."_

Izuku paused for a moment, before tossing the device aside and moving over to his desk. He opened up a notebook and continued the thoughts. _"Both my quirk and my swordsmanship are dangerous, and they are even worse when I use both together. I need to figure out just what my upper limits are and how much damage I will cause for both in order to be effective. Not to mention any uses that don't involve combat."_

Izuku began writing down anything he could think of. He was determined to have a clear handle on this before he needed to use it again.

 **That's the end of this chapter. A few answers to any questions you might have. Izuku's scores for the Quirk Assessment. If you remember anything from Katanagatari, you know that a fully trained Kyotoryu head is insanely strong. After killing his teacher, Shichika trained on an island for 3 years and showed that he was capable of near inhuman feats. If you were to plop him straight into the MHA world, he would be comparable to most heroes. Izuku is not quite there in regards to his physical strength, but when you factor in One for All even at small amounts, he becomes insane. I think he should be able to match the power output of at least cannon version 20% right now due to his muscular development and his secret techniques. Like his Ryuuyoku Kakou. It is an armor piercing technique which hits targets through armor designed to cause internal damage. Utilizing that on a baseball with One for All would be like attaching a two-stage rocket to the ball. Also, Bakugo was picked for the ball throw because his student file shows he has exceptional control over his quirk, not because of his score on the entrance exam.**

 **It will be a couple of weeks until my next update. With work and difficulty in plot development I would expect at least a month until my next update. Maybe later, but I don't plan on abandoning this story anytime soon. I have some major ideas for later conflicts that I really want to put to paper.**

 **Next time, we will cover the first hero development class. Get ready for an epic battle, and Izuku's new hero costume!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own either Katanagatari or Boku no Hero Academia, they are the properties of Nisio Isin and Kohei Horikoshi respectively. Please support the ongoing series by following their released works.**

Chapter 5 An Explosive clash

The class has just finished their lunch and are waiting for their teacher for Foundational Hero Studies.

"I can't wait to see who's teaching us!" Kirishima said with a smile. The class was clamoring in their seats with the exception of Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Bakugo. Izuku had an idea about who their teacher was and was more concerned with what they would be learning. The door to the classroom opened and everyone paused.

" **I am here… Coming through the door like a normal person!"** All Might flung himself through the doorway with flair and the class lit up with excitement. All Might was wearing his silver age costume, a red suit with striped designs entered by a circle in the middle of his chest and a cape held on by armored clasps.

" **I will be your teacher for Foundational Hero Studies. This is where we develop your skills and hone what it takes to truly be a hero. And today will be…"** He reaches behind his back to pull out a card. **"Battle training!"** Each student showed eagerness for this class except for Izuku who was still concerned about what Aizawa said to him.

All Might then gestured to the wall beside him as a hidden shelving system opened up to reveal hero costumes for each student as assigned by seat number. **"So, everyone will change into their costumes and join me at Battleground Beta."** All Might walked off as the students grabbed their costumes and made their way to the lockers.

 **Later**

All Might stood at the entrance to Battleground Beta, waiting patiently. **"They say that the clothes make the hero, and you all definitely look the part!"** He exclaimed as the students made their way out of the tunnel. (They all look the same as cannon other than Izuku).

The last to arrive was Izuku, who had designed his costume based upon a picture of Kazune's ancestor. He is wearing a loose dark green haori with only the right sleeve present. His arms are covered with skintight black sleeves that end with white fingerless gloves. He has a red and white striped utility belt and dark green hakama pants. The pants are covered with red marks made to look like cuts. Instead of shoes, he has red foot coverings designed to protect the tops of his feet. As a final addition, his wrists and shins have weights that sit flush against the limbs. These were suggested by All Might as they would be a form of training, and a restriction so that he does not cause unnecessary damage.

Izuku looks himself over, noting how his sleeves are made of a Kevlar hybrid designed to be cut and fireproof. He begins flowing through various kata to test his movement, feeling pleased that it is nonrestrictive.

"Your costume is so cool!" Uraraka points out as her and some of the other students take a look at him.

"Don't you feel cold in that." Jiro askes with a blush. A gust blows through the area, making Kirishima and Momo both shiver at the feeling, while Izuku is not even phased at the temperature.

"Not really." The girls also take note of how he is developed due to the fact that they can see most of his torso exposed. He may not be as bare all as Kirishima, but he is taller and looks more defined.

" **Now, let's begin with today's lesson. Since you all did your quirk assessment yesterday, today we will see how you fare in battle! We will be doing one on one battles."** All Might gestured to the box behind him with two holes on it. One labeled hero, and the other villain. **"The battles will be decided by lottery and last ten minutes total. The goal of this is simple. If you are picked as a hero, you are to capture the villain within the time limit using this capture tape."** He Holds up a roll of tape for the class. **"And if you are a villain, you are to avoid capture until the time runs out. You can use whatever means necessary, but you cannot leave the area for this test."**

The students perked up at the thought before Kaminari spoke up. "Excuse me All Might. But why choose by lottery?"

All Might grinned at the question. **"The reason for this is that you will not always have a choice on who to fight. If you are the only hero in the area when a villain attack occurs, it is your responsibility to stop it, despite not knowing everything about the villain. This is also why we wait to pick until right before the battle."** The students would have felt reassured at the statement, if All Might hadn't been reading from a script the entire time.

He then reached into the box behind him and pulled out two slips of paper. **"First up for the scenario is Bakugo Katsuki as the villain. And Izuku Midoriya as the hero!"** The two mentioned teens froze at the mention of their names, not thinking they would have to fight so soon.

The rest of the students cleared the area and made their way into a viewing booth with All Might. Meanwhile, Izuku and Bakugo were having very different thoughts.

" _Finally, I get to beat down on the nerd without holding back. This will show him for making me look like a fool all these years."_

As Bakugo was fuming over his imaginary embarrassment, Izuku was thinking of what Eraserhead had said to him the other day. _"So, I have to hold back to prevent unnecessary injury. I guess One for All will take a side seat today."_

" **All right, You two will have 10 minutes to complete your objectives. At any time I may stop the match, so respect any call I may make. Ready?"** The screen showed both Izuku and Bakugo nod at the confirmation, with Bakugo wearing a near manic grin. **"Begin!"**

Bakugo rocketed across the street, right arm reared back with the intention of finishing the fight in one blow, but as he swung, Izuku grabbed the back of Bakugo's hand with his left hand. Before Bakugo could react, Izuku threw a knee strike against Bakugo's left temple, sending the sand haired teen careening across the street and into a stop sign. The class looked on in shock at the ruthlessness displayed, before noting the explosion sounds echoing through the street.

Bakugo stood up, hands smoking and obviously enraged. "Why the hell aren't you using that quirk Deku? Am I not worth it or something?!" Rather than answer, Izuku simply moves back to his ready position.

 **In the Observation Room**

"All Might sensei, why isn't Midoriya using his quirk? Wouldn't it be much easier for him?" Uraraka asked, voicing the concern of the class.

All Might grinned in response. **"Worry not young Uraraka, Young Midorya is just keeping his promise to restrict himself till he learns better finite control over his quirk. His techniques are very dangerous and if he uses too much force, can become lethal. But he understands this and is willing to restrict himself especially when sparring with classmates."**

The class seems placated at the response, and become engrossed in the artful exchange between the two students. One showing great control and adaptability with a quirk-centric fighting style, and the other showing pure martial prowess. Bakugo is throwing blast after blast at his former prey, while Izuku is either deflecting the attacks at the wrist, or blocking with his forearms. After what seems like a few minutes Bakugo jumps back and points his right hand towards Izuku, with his left hand holding the pin in his grenade shaped gauntlet.

"Just to let you know, these bracers are designed to store any excess sweat that I don't use and contain it. And if the support department made his thing right, then I can ignite all of the sweat at once for a colossal blast." Izuku tensed up at the description, his mind figuring out just how large an explosion that would be.

" **Young Bakugo, don't set off that blast, that is too much for a student to handle!"** All Might's voice boomed over the intercom.

"As long as he dodges it, he will be fine. Now **Eat it Deku!** " Bakugo pulls the pin.

 **BOOOM!**

An explosion the size of a semi rips out towards Izuku. Izuku's body sparks with green electricity, but before anyone can notice, the cameras cut out, leaving All Might and the rest of the class viewing static.

Bakugo's vision is obscured by the smoke as he looks on towards where his opponent was standing. _'The loser should just drop out if he wasn't able to take that.'_ Bakugo started to walk forward, ready to end the match.

"That was much more powerful than usual, you really are amazing." Bakugo whipped around to find Izuku, looking mostly untouched after his attack. His haori was lost in the blast, and he had some minor blast marks on his chest, but he looked otherwise untouched. He looked back at the clearing smoke to find the haori ripped to shreds. "If I hadn't designed my clothes to be blast proof my top might not have been enough to dampen the blast."

Bakugo's hands begin to smoke, showing his frustration before he throws an overhand explosion at the green haired teen. Izuku hits the hand up, causing an explosion to rip over them.

"I looked up to you for the longest time, you had such talent with your quirk and were praised by everyone for it, but you know what?" Izuku simply talked while deflecting the barrage of blows thrown at him. "Beyond your quirk, you really have nothing else that makes a hero. You're cruel, insecure, and belittle and attack anyone who dares to think that about you. Even your fighting is one dimensional."

Bakugo becomes even more angry winds up to attack again. "You think that you're better than me, you useless fuck!"

"Kyotoryu: Hikara Kyukou." Izuku shoves the teens hands to the side before setting his own in a prayer position, he then jabs at Bakugo's shoulder joints, causing the teen's arms to hang limp. "Kyotoryu: Violet". He then preforms a double palm strike at his opponent's sternum and stomach, sending the teen flying across the field.

"You worked hard to develop your techniques, but you never considered fighting without your quirk. Once you know that, it becomes easier to beat you." The young sword began to walk towards his downed opponent. "And I know about how you fight, because I like to catalog quirks and their users. And the first one I wrote down was yours." Izuku stood before his former bully, and without words, they knew that their relationship would never be the same. Izuku reached to his belt and pulled out his capture tape, ready to finish the match when…

" **Time is Up! Now everyone to the battlefield to evaluate them."**

 **Soon after**

" **So, can anyone tell me who won the spar?"** All Might stood in front of them, with Izuku on his right, and Bakugo on his left. Both looked a little roughed up, although Bakugo was the worse out of the two.

Momo raised her hand. "Although Midoriya did win as far as the fight goes, the objective was to capture your opponent before the time ran out. Were this a real villain attack and not a training exercise, Bakugo could have chosen to flee rather than battle head on. Since Izuku was unable to capture, it is his loss."

All Might nodded at the evaluation. **"Exactly. Remember, victory does not rely simply on fighting. There are always other factors at play such as potential escape and innocents being at risk. So, keep that in mind as we continue on with our matchups."**

The rest of the class went on with less action in the matchups. Todoroki overpowered Ilda by freezing him at the beginning, preventing the upright teen from running. And Sero's quirk was pretty much designed for capture, easily binding up Aoyama. Mineta also had an easy time, with his quirk immobilizing Sato, allowing the diminutive boy to flee for the time period. And the other's battles were very nondescript. During this period, Bakugo was sent to recovery girl, where he had to stay for a minor concussion along with bruising of his ribcage and temporary nerve damage, while Yaoyorozu was able to make a topical ointment for Izuku which treated the burn marks he sustained.

At the end of the day, Bakugo left the nurse's office and found Izuku near the entrance to the building.

"Deku! I hope you realize you were just lucky today!" Bakugo began to tell off his former target before the teen turned around with an almost pitiful look.

"Is that all you think that was? That I was lucky?" Izuku was a sick of how his childhood friend treated him and after his win, finally felt on with confronting the sand-haired teen. "I worked myself to the bone to get to where I am. I practiced day and night, training myself for years just to get a chance at my dream! Whereas you just had everything handed to you. A great quirk, talent, praise. I didn't receive any of that! If I didn't get my quirk late then I wouldn't even be here!"

Bakugo was dumbstruck at the outburst, never expecting something from the usually quiet and introverted Deku. "What the hell does that mean you Deku? I worked hard to be able to fight with my quirk."

"Well what are you without it?" Bakugo was taken aback at the question.

"There are a lot of heroes who can only fight one way and are useless without their quirks. What if you had to fight someone like Aizawa-sensei? Someone who can cancel your quirk, how would you beat them?" Izuku was looking at his bully with contempt at this point.

"If you think that I won today because of a fluke then the next time we have to spar, it will be the same. I learned how to fight long before I had my quirk and am improving everyday. Outside of your quirk, you have nothing. So I won't be just a stepping stone for you. If you want to be the Number One hero, then you will have to take it after me, because I obviously want it more than you." Izuku walked away at that, leaving his bully behind.

' _Nothing without my quirk…'_ Bakugo ponders to himself as he heads home alone, not knowing that they had an audience to their conversation.

 **End of Chapter. To start off with, sorry about the late release. I have been busy working at a camp over the summer and starting up college again so I haven't had time to write much lately. Now onto the chapter. I decided to change the format of the first Hero development course due to a difference in character. This Izuku is much stronger than cannon and can demonstrate that skill without hurting himself, thus making his options for fighting a bit more widespread. So I wanted a battle between him and Bakugo to reflect the theme of their later fight in the manga. This also is a good way to demonstrate just how dangerous Kyotoryu is. With mainly passive fighting, Izuku was able to incapacitate Bakugo using only a couple of major techniques.**

 **Next chapter will take a major shift from the episode format, by taking a look at the first week of Class 1-A and focus more on character and story building. I'm going to be busier in the coming months so don't be alarmed if it takes me a while to get it out.**


End file.
